Twist of Fate
by kelly4
Summary: Alex Olanov brings Téa and her adopted son back to Llanview, just as Todd's dark secret is threatening to overtake him.
1. Default Chapter

**November 2001  
Llanview **

Alex Olanov leans the phone against her shoulder as she glances around her suite at the Palace. Impatiently, she taps her hand against the small, wooden desk. She's about to hang up when a breathless voice answers the phone. 

"Hello?" 

"And how's my favorite lawyer this fine evening?" 

On the other end of the phone, Téa Delgado rolls her eyes. "What kind of trouble are you in Alex?" 

"Trouble, moi?" Alex pauses, chuckling into the phone. "Maybe I'm in a little trouble." 

"And you need me. Okay, where are you?" 

Alex is silent. 

"Alex? Hello?" 

"Llanview." 

The silence that greets Alex's announcement is not unexpected. She winces, only imagining what's about to come out of her very fiesty lawyer's mouth. 

"To quote a man I once knew, I'd rather dig out my small intestines with a cocktail fork than set foot back in that town." 

"Speaking of Todd..." 

"Did I say Todd?" 

"You didn't have to, I can hear him saying that one. Speaking of Todd, he looks just as miserable as you did the last time I saw you. I happened to notice him having lunch at the Palace yesterday." 

"Did I ask?" 

"No, but you were dying to. So, what time should I expect you?" 

"You shouldn't. I'll send you an attorney." 

"Téa! I need you, you are my lawyer and you know how to handle Bo!" 

"Why is Bo questioning you?" 

"Well, he might have the idea that I had something to do with the old cowboy going to the big rodeo in the sky." 

"What?" 

"You haven't heard?" 

"Alex, I don't exactly keep up on Llanview events." 

"Asa was murdered." 

"Oh my God! Although, I can't say I'm surprised, he wasn't exactly the most loved citizen of that town. But why would Bo suspect you?" 

"Well Asa and I didn't exactly have a loving relationship. And..." 

"Yes?" 

"I may have threatened him when I was in town last May." 

"In front of people?" 

"There might have been a few people around. But I know you can handle it, so please Téa. You don't even have to see Todd." 

"Why do you think my reluctance to come to Llanview has anything to do with Todd?" 

"Lucky guess?" 

"There are many reasons that I want to stay away from there." 

"Look, you can handle Bo in a matter of minutes and then you can go. And, you still have friends here. Carlotta would love to see you I'm sure." 

"Oh, that's dirty," Téa sighs, realizing that she hadn't seen her surrogate mother in over a year. 

"Come on, it'll be fun! Just like old times." 

Téa leans her head back against the sofa, sighing deeply. Hearing this, Alex smiles, knowing she's won. 

"Fine. Tell Bo I'll be there around noon. I'm just going to stop by the diner and drop off Jeremy." 

"Ohhh how is he?" 

"Adorable, of course." 

"Of course, I can't wait to see him. Poor little angel. At least, with you, he's got a chance, Téa." 

Téa smiles slightly, touched by Alex's compliment. "Thanks. I only hope I don't let him down. Ok, promise me you won't say word one to anyone until you see me." 

"Cross my heart and hope to die." 

"Ok, I'll meet you at Bo's office around noon." 

"Thank you Téa, I really appreciate this. I know how you feel about this place." 

"You better," Téa quips, hanging up the phone. 

Alex sets down the phone and smiles. Her smile widens as an idea comes into her head. She takes out a little sticky note and picks up the phone again. She dials the number on the paper, startled when the phone is picked up almost immediately. 

"What?" 

"Charming as ever I see." 

"Who is this?" 

"Why Todd Manning, how could you ever forget your dear friend Alex?" 

Despite himself, on the other end of the phone, Todd grins. Shaking his head, he flops down on the sofa. "Yeah, I heard you were in town." 

"And I would love to see you." 

Todd rolls his eyes. Well at least he would be entertained for a few hours of his miserable life. "Whatever." 

"Is that a yes?" 

"I guess I can spare an hour or two. Should I bring my checkbook?" 

Alex laughs. "Might not be a bad idea. Seriously, I would just like to see how your doing." 

"Fine, when do you wanna do this?" 

"Well, unfortunately, I have a little matter I have to take care of at the PD in the morning." 

"Oh yeah, I heard Bo was sniffing around you about Asa. Although, that could be a cover. He's had this weird thing for blondes lately. I'd dress in layers." 

"And lose my edge?" Alex responds wickedly. 

Todd shakes his head, laughing. "Good point." 

"So, why don't you meet me at the PD, say, around 1?" 

"Oh man, why do I gotta go there?" 

"Because you do. So, tomorrow then?" 

"Yeah, whatever," he responds, hanging up the phone. Alex grins. She walks over to the sofa and lays herself out on it. 

"Alex Olanov as Cupid. Who would have thought?" 

***** 

**New York**

Téa leans over the crib, watching her precious son. She smiles, thinking how strange that sounded. Her son. A month ago, if anyone had told her she would be raising a baby in a month's time, she would have laughed in their faces. 

But fate intervened, and suddenly she was a mother. Strange, how it was always suddenly with her. First Starr...now Jeremy. 

She bites her lip, her eyes filling with tears as she thinks about all this poor baby had been through in his short life. She can't believe that anyone would have just left this little angel out somewhere, abandoned in the scary streets of Mexico. But as hard as it was to believe, that's what had happened, according to her client, who had stumbled across him. After going through the proper channels, Téa had taken him in. She wasn't sure what possessed her to change her life on a dime like that, but when she saw him, she knew that she could make a difference. And have someone in her life that loved her. 

Sighing, she leans her chin against the top of the crib. She was dreading tomorrow. Yeah, she could be in and out relatively quickly, but the memories the town brought back affected her. Just being there would remind her of ..him. 

Shaking her head, blinking back tears, she stands up. 

"That ship has sailed," she says quietly, sadly. 

Rubbing the back of her neck, she pulls a small bag out from the closet and begins to pack a travel bag for Jeremy. All the while, wondering how she was going to get through tomorrow. 

To Be Continued


	2. Twist of Fate 2

**Llanview  
The Following Morning **

Alex smiles at Bo, who looks vaguely annoyed. He glances at his watch and back at Alex. 

"You know, I don't have all day." 

"Oh now Bo, I told you, my lawyer is coming in from out of town." 

No sooner do the words leave Alex's mouth than the door to Bo's office flies open. Bo looks up and his eyes widen in shock. From the doorway, Téa grins. 

"Hello Commissioner. I certainly hope you haven't been attempting to question my client here." 

Bo rolls his eyes. "Can we just get started?" 

Téa walks in and takes a seat next to Alex, who flashes her a quick grin. 

"Ok Bo, give it your best shot." 

***** 

"Daddy, where are you going?" 

Todd turns around and sees Starr standing in the archway. 

"Goin' to meet someone." 

"Mommy?" 

Todd sighs, leaning back against the door. "There are more people in the world than your mom Starr." 

Starr squints at him. This wasn't like she had planned at all. She had thought that when her mom and dad finally got back together, everything would be perfect. 

She thought. 

But the truth was, she was disappointed. Her mom and dad were barely ever in the same room together and when they were, all they seemed to do was snipe at each other. She tried to rationalize it in her young mind, Mommy and Daddy were upset about the baby. Well at least Mommy was. Daddy just seemed to snap at her to get over it. But then, Daddy still thought the baby was Max's, and Mommy had sworn her to secrecy. 

"Maybe you and me and Mommy could all have dinner tonight?" 

"Yeah whatever," Todd mumbles, and turns around and heads out the front door. He gets in his car and leans back in the front seat. 

What the hell was he doing? 

It had seemed like such a great idea. And really, what choice did he have? He had abandoned his daughter on more than one occasion, and when he returned to Llanview, he had no one but her. So, when she told him she wanted him back with Blair, and she made it clear that her feelings for him would be affected if he said no, well, he figured he didn't have anything to lose. He'd already lost the only other person who ever mattered to him. 

After a while, it became _habit_. It's not like he had anything better to do, and no one else gave a damn about him. And, he had to face it. Blair was exactly what he deserved. Two gutter rats constantly bashing each other's brains in and waiting for the other to stab them in the back. 

Now Blair walked around in a complete snit. He knew she blamed him for her baby's death. Even though she never outright accused him, he knew that she blamed him. She blamed him for everything. 

_If she only knew... _

It seemed like the perfect plan. Starr insisted on them being together. He wanted Starr's love. And it's not like he had any other choice. So, he managed to spirit away Blair's baby. What she didn't know.... 

wouldn't hurt her. Starr didn't want Max's spawn anymore than he wanted to have the kid around. He was trying to do the right thing, to give Starr a happy home. 

Too bad the 'happy' was missing. 

He slips the key in the ignition. He hated to admit it but he was looking forward to seeing Alex. She always managed to make him laugh and entertain him. He could still see her, traipsing around the living room of the penthouse coming up with some scheme or another... 

and then..his mind's eye sees the other person in the picture. The one Alex had inadvertently help bring into his life. And he kept hearing a little voice in his head... 

_What would Téa think of you now? _

Biting his lip, he shakes the thought out of his head. 

"Screw Téa, she's the one who gave up." 

But as he drove along, he couldn't help but wish that he could see that look right now. The look only she gave him. 

The look that said he wasn't as bad as he thought he was. The look that said he was a better person than anyone thought. The look that said she would love him, no matter what. 

"No matter what lasted what..three months?" he mutters bitterly. Pounding his hand against the steering wheel, he did what he always did when Téa entered his mind. He shut down, made his face a wall of impassiveness. He had become so good at that in the past year. No one would ever know how much he still hurt over her leaving. And no one would ever know that he would give up everything to see her walk back into his life again. 

***** 

A familiar cheshire cat grin crosses Alex's face as she leaves Bo's office, Téa trailing behind her. As the door clicks close, Alex whirls around and gives Téa a hug. 

"Have I told you lately that you are absolutely brilliant?" 

"No, actually, you haven't." 

"Well, you are. Bo didn't know what hit him!" 

"I'm just glad it's resolved. Now, want to head over to the diner with me?" 

Alex pauses. "Oh, right now?" She glances at her watch. Ten to one. 

"Yeah, right now. I wanna pick up Jeremy and grab a bite before we hit the road. You can hold him while I eat," Téa smiles. 

"Well, I can't wait to see him of course, but..." 

"But what?" 

Alex glances around wildly, trying to figure out a way to stall. "I...I have to make a phone call." 

Téa rolls her eyes. "Fine. You know what, maybe I'll go run and say hi to a few people in the back. I'll be back in a couple minutes." Téa heads off to her old office as Alex grins. She leans back against a desk, wondering how it's possible that one person could be so clever. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her compact, flipping it open and smiling at the perfect reflection she sees in the mirror. 

"Vain as ever I see." 

The voice startles Alex out of her self admiration. She turns and smiles. 

"Wow, do you look different!" 

"Whatever. So where are we going to chow?" 

"Patience dear boy." 

"This place gives me hives, come on," he says, heading for the door. 

"Wait...I just need to talk to my attorney for a minute," she calls out, smiling as she notices Todd freeze at the words, knowing exactly who that word conjured up in his head. He turns and walks back toward her. 

"So you managed to find an attorney without my help huh?" he says, his tone a bit quieter than before. 

"Sort of." 

"What the hell does that mean?" 

"It means, you might have had a hand in finding me this attorney." 

"I'm not in the mood for your little word games. Who the hell is this guy?" 

"Typical male, assuming it's a guy. You, of all people, should know what great lawyers women make." 

Todd steps closer to her, his tone icy. "If you're even thinking of saying that name, don't." 

"Wow..." 

"What?" Todd replies gruffly, stepping back a bit. 

"You still got it bad." 

"Aw, what the hell do you know huh? My life is just peachy." 

"Oh yeah, I can tell by your fine mood." 

"Whatever, let's just go eat so you can hit me up for whatever money you need." 

"I didn't ask you here to beg for money Todd." 

"Then why the hell did you?" 

"Because, I care about you. And I want to see you genuinely happy, not just a miserable attempt at faking it." 

"Ok, now I'm really starting to break out in hives. Where the hell is this attorney of yours?" He looks at his watch, and freezes when a voice comes from the direction of the back of the squad room. He forces himself to look in the direction of the voice. 

"Alright Alex, I'm ready...." Téa stops short as she walks out into the squad room and sees the person Alex is talking to. 

Todd exhales a sharp breath, as he sees the eyes he loved getting lost in more than anything staring back at him. Téa, for her part, clutches her purse in a desperate attempt to maintain some semblance of composure. 

With a self satisfied grin, Alex leans back against the desk, looking back and forth between them.


	3. Twist of Fate 3

What seems like hours in reality is only a few seconds. Alex glances back and forth between them, noticing the intense eye contact, the apparent struggle to mask their feelings as they stare at each other for the first time in over a year. Always one to make her presence known, she clears her throat. 

"Well, I think I'll just let you two talk..." Alex says, slowly turning to walk towards the door. 

"Wait!" Téa snaps out of her daze, and glares at Alex. "Expect a visit from me later." 

Alex just smiles. Patting Todd on the arm she disappears out of the front door of the police department. Téa's eyes turn back to Todd. The expression on his face is indiscernable. Somewhere between shock, confusion, anger, ....and maybe a little relief. Taking a deep breath, she steps toward him. 

"Hey," she says quietly. Her attempt is met by a cold silence. Clutching her bag a little tighter, she takes another step towards him. "How are you?" 

Todd, for his part, can barely hear her. He can't even process that she is standing there in front of him, much less that there are actually words coming out of her mouth. Part of him wants to turn and walk away, the anger and hurt taking over, wanting to get away from her and all the feelings she brought out in him. Part of him wanted to walk toward her, pull her close, and never let her go again. Instead, silence won out, as he continued to glare at her. 

Téa swallows hard, well aware of his anger. Tears form in her eyes, never wanting more in that moment than to go back and change the morning she left him. Unable to take the icy stare anymore, she throws her hands up and walks by him, shaking her head. 

"Oh yeah, walk away, you're good at that," she hears a bitter voice behind her. She stops cold. She can feel his eyes on her, the hurt radiating from him in his biting tone. Blinking hard to hold back tears, she struggles to maintain her composure as she turns back towards him. 

"He speaks. So, you are talking to me?" 

"You would have known that if you hadn't walked out on me for a year and a half. Best year and a half of your life I'll bet." 

"Hardly," she whispers, looking down. 

Before she lowered her head, he caught it. That flash of vulnerability in those brown eyes that always tugged at his heart. But it wouldn't happen, not this time. She would NOT get to him again. So he pushed it away, running his hand through his hair. Shaking his head, he walks past her out the door. 

"Whatever," he mumbles. 

Téa stands there, her anger rising. Why did it always have to be so hard? Turning, she heads out the door, seeing him walking across the parking lot to his car. She runs down the steps. 

"Todd!" 

He stops, hearing her voice. That voice that had such power over him it scared him. He closes his eyes as he hears her heels clicking on the pavement, getting closer. When she stops behind him, he waits, but there is silence. After a moment, a smirk appears on his face. Ok, his life sucked. But she didn't have to know that. He turns toward her. 

"Make it snappy, Delgado. I got a family to get home to." 

The moment the words leave his mouth, he regrets it. Story of his life. The pain that flashes through her brown eyes twists his insides into a knot. He should have known better, the power of her pain to hurt him was like no other. It never worked with her, revenge. Wanting to hurt her always backfired, because he felt like he hurt himself. Clearing his throat, he steps toward her. 

"Téa..." 

"No, Todd," she begins, her voice a bit shaky. "I heard that you and Blair are back together. I hope ..." she looks down momentarily, trying to find some kind of strength within her to say the words. "I hope that you're happy. You deserve it." 

A hard lump forms in his throat as her shiny brown eyes stare into his hazel ones. 

"Yeah, right." 

"You do, even though you don't think you do." 

He steps back from her, rubbing his hands over his face. He felt himself starting to get a little more ticked. It wasn't the reaction he expected from her, he'd wanted ...something else. He walks past her, then whirls around to face her. 

"So that's it? I get your blessing huh? You don't even care?" 

Téa shakes her head. "Is that what you think?" 

"I just want you to be happy Todd...yeah I'll bet. As long as you don't have to deal with me right?" 

"I meant what I said." 

"Yeah I'm sure you did. Blair gets to put up with my crap not you." 

"God, you don't get it do you?" 

"Apparently not." 

"Todd, when you ...love...someone, you want them to be happy. If this is what you want, it doesn't matter how I feel about it. I want you to be happy." 

Completely missing her reference to 'love', he snaps back, "And you think it's with Blair?" 

"You were the one who told me you had to get home to your 'family'...a not so veiled shot by the way. Or was that the point? Throw it in my face?" 

The look on Todd's face tells Téa she was right, and she just grins slightly. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, it does hurt. More than you'll ever know," she says softly. 

Her soft voice brings tears to his eyes. "That's ironic, since you're probably one of the few people on this lousy planet I don't wanna hurt." 

Taking a chance, she steps closer to him. "I don't want to hurt you either....and I'm sorry I did." 

She notices his eyes widening, and the vulnerability seeping into the hazel depths of his eyes. When he speaks, his voice has a quiet, pained tone. 

"So, why did you?" 


	4. Twist of Fate 4

Téa leans back against a car, gazing at him. The pain on his face was very palpable, she could feel it inside her. She also watched as he recognized that he was allowing himself to show his emotions, something he hadn't done in over a year. The struggle in his eyes, to put up that wall of impassiveness, was apparent. 

"This thing between us," she begins, gesturing between them, "is the most powerful thing I've ever felt in my life. That scares the hell out of me. I'm not really an impulsive person but you...you make me do the most impulsive things. You always have." 

"So, what did I do to make you impulsively leave?" he spits, his voice changing from painful to bitter. 

"Todd, we tend to rush into things, you and I. We rushed into marriage, both times. And then we went from over 15 months of not seeing each other to being together every second of every day in the span of a couple hours. Without really dealing with anything that we really needed to deal with. Maybe we just weren't ready to be together that much. Maybe we needed to take things slower." 

"Slower wasn't an option." 

"I know, Todd, I know. And that's why I went with you, because I needed to be with you more than I worried about what would happen between us. But the fact is, all that stuff was still between us. The DID, everything." 

"We talked about that." 

"Barely, and not as much as we needed to. When we got back together, I couldn't believe how much you'd changed. I could see the difference in you. I don't know, maybe it was being away from your family for so long..." 

"Oh, so it's all MY fault?" 

"No...I didn't say that. We both made mistakes. I just...I felt like we were drowning you know? We were at cross purposes, we BOTH were. This love...what I feel for you...it's almost like oxygen for me. I need it...even when we're not together I need to feel this for you. And I just felt like if I stayed, that I would lose that because we would end up in a horrible place." 

"Let me get this straight, you left me so you could keep on loving me?" 

"It sounds simplistic, but yeah, I guess so." 

"And you expect me to believe that?" 

"Well, it is the truth, so actually I expect you to have some trouble believing it." 

"Maybe that's cuz so few people in my life are actually honest with me," he mutters. 

Téa takes a step towards him. "But I always have been." 

He looks at her, realizing she's right. "Doesn't make what you did right." 

"No..it doesn't. And I regret it Todd, but at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. I am sorry that I hurt you, but I guess, I was trying to save us for later." 

"What the hell does that mean?" 

"Like I said, I wanted to keep loving you, and I wanted you to keep loving me so that maybe...down the road...we would find our way back to each other. Like we always seemed to do," she pauses, biting her lip as tears threaten to spill over her eyes. "But, I guess that dream's down the drain. Look, I meant what I said, I hope that you are happy. If my leaving got you your family back, then maybe it was the best thing I could have done." 

"Oh no way, Téa, no way! You don't get to the noble one here!" 

"Well what else do you want me to say? I'm sorry Todd ok? I'm sorry that I hurt you. If I could go back and change things between us I would. Do you think it makes me happy to see that you went back to Blair? I already told you it hurts like hell! So what else do you want me to say?" 

"I don't know! Damn it!" he yells, running his fingers through his hair. "Why do you do this to me huh?" 

"Do what?" 

"You screw with my insides better than anyone," he mutters, turning away from her. She grins slightly. 

"That's only fair since you do the same for me." 

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm the maelstrom of emotions whirling inside of him. Trying to hide from her. Put up the wall that he'd perfected the past year since she left him. 

"Where are you staying?" 

Téa does a take. "Actually, I wasn't planning on staying." 

"Oh you're just gonna walk out on me again?" 

"Hardly. You seem to have more than enough to occupy you," she replies, her voice showing a bit of jealousy. Todd hears it though, and smirks. 

"You really do hate it, don't you?" 

"I'm not trying to hide that fact. But that doesn't mean that I don't wish you the best," she says, her voice softening. 

"You always did have a distorted view of me." 

"What does that mean?" 

"You might be the only person who thinks I deserve the best." 

"I'm sure that's not true." 

"Well you always did believe what you wanted to." 

"Yes, I did." 

There's a silence between them, as they both glance at each other. Knowing that things were far from okay between them. 

"I think I might actually stay for a day or two," she says quietly. 

"Yeah?" 

"Well I certainly need to have a little talk with Alex." 

"I should have known she was up to something." 

"Me too, the minute she called. For what it's worth, I'm not terribly upset that she did this. Although I won't tell her that." 

"I ...I just can't believe you're here," he says quietly. 

"Well, I have to go actually, I have to um....I have to pick up my son at Carlotta's," she says, watching anxiously for his response. She sees his eyes widen as her words sink in, and notices his fists tighten. 

"Wow, you've been busy," he smirks, an angry glint in his eye. "Who's the lucky guy?" 

Téa shakes her head, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "I don't know." 

Todd breathing increases slightly. "I guess busy is an understatement," he snaps. 

Téa shakes her head slightly, knowing exactly what he is thinking. "You know, if I were an "eye for an eye" type, I'd let you continue to think exactly what you're thinking. But..I'm not. I don't know who the father is because he's not mine, biologically. I adopted him, well, I'm in the process anyway." 

Todd looks momentarily confused, and his body relaxes slightly. "Why?" 

"I don't know myself really. It all happened kind of fast. This poor little lost soul out there with no one to take care of him...kind of called out to me." 

Todd mouth twitches into a slight grin. "You always did have a thing for lost souls." 

Her eyes fill with tears at his soft tone. "Your soul isn't lost...it's in there, if you'd just let yourself believe in it." 

"Don't start," he mutters, looking down. 

Téa shakes her head, her heart breaking at his defeatedness. "Take care of yourself, ok?" 

"Whatever," he mumbles, then looks at her. "You too Delgado." 

A tear slips down her cheek at him calling her his nickname for her. She wipes it away and turns and walks towards her car. Todd watches her go, the emotions at watching her retreating from him almost too much too handle. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cellphone. He quickly dials a number and puts the phone to his ear. 

"Alex Olanov's room." 

After a moment, he hears her familiar voice answer the phone. "Hello?" 

"She staying with you?" 

Alex looks momentarily confused. "Todd?" 

"Yeah, answer my question." 

"Yes, I had the hotel bring up a bassinet for the baby. She did..tell you about that right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Why are you interested?" 

"Look, you ambushed me today, and I'm still kinda ticked. But you know, the way I see it, you owe me now." 

Alex grins. "And what will be my payment?" 

"You keep Delgado here...as long as you can." 


	5. Twist of Fate 5

**The Palace,  
Later that night**  
  
Téa opens the door of the room and glances around. She smirks slightly as she looks at Jeremy, who has his hands safely tangled in his mother's long brown hair.  
  
"She better be hiding," she whispers.  
  
Téa closes the door and walks into the room. Alex had arranged for a key to be left for her at the front desk, and Téa also notices a bassinet in the main room of the suite. She hears a noise and looks up, seeing Alex peeking out of one of the bedrooms.  
  
"Oh, you're back," Alex says, a huge smile on her face. She makes a beeline for Téa and Jeremy, never once directing her eyes to the glare on Téa's face. "Oh...oh he is too precious, hello sweetie!" Alex coos, running her finger over his soft skin.  
  
Téa clears her throat. "Nice touch," she says, nodding her head toward the bassinet.  
  
"Well, if we're going to have a little one..."  
  
"Oh and it certainly doesn't hurt to butter me up after your little stunt," Téa says, walking over to the bassinet and placing Jeremy in it. She runs her finger along his soft cheek, smiling. Winking at him, she quickly puts on her 'stern lawyer look' and turns back to Alex.  
  
"You're upset."  
  
"Alex, I specifically asked you not to tell anyone I was here."  
  
"I didn't tell him you were here, I told him to meet me at the police station."  
  
"Cute. You know what I mean."  
  
"You wanted to see him," Alex says, walking over and sitting on the couch.  
  
"Alex..."  
  
"Don't even try to deny it Téa. You wanted to see him and he wanted to see you."  
  
"I think he's been too busy with his other life to even think about me," she says quietly.  
  
"Hmm, well when I saw him the other day, he looked downright miserable."  
  
"Look, that's not the point. The point is, you had no right to do that!"  
  
"Yes I did!"  
  
"Oh how do you figure that?"  
  
"Because....," Alex pauses, sighing. "Téa....there are only a few people in this world who have showed me any kind of kindness. You and Todd are two of them. We had a lot of fun, the three of us. And...I guess...I think of you two as my family, such as it is."  
  
Téa stares at her, touched by her words. Softening, she walks over and sits next to Alex on the couch. Alex glances over at her and continues.  
  
"Besides, it's because of me that you two got together in the first place, I feel a responsibility here. If I was the reason you ended up together, then I should be the reason you get back together!"  
  
Téa laughs. "Ah yes, the logic of Alex Olanov."  
  
"Am I forgiven?"  
  
Téa shakes her head, still chuckling. "Yeah, you are. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing."

  
Remembering her phone conversation with Todd, Alex grins. "See, I know what I'm doing Téa. So, what happened?"  
  
"The usual. Yelling, misunderstandings, me trying to tell Todd he is not a monster, him trying to tell me I don't know what the hell I'm talking about."  
  
"Yeah that sounds about right," Alex quips.  
  
"I don't know..maybe we needed it...to say goodbye," Téa says quietly.  
  
Alex turns to her. "Is that what you want?"  
  
"What I want doesn't matter. He's got a new life, or a return to the old one...whatever."  
  
"And you think he's happy?"  
  
"Alex I'm not gonna take him away from his family. I did that once."  
  
"Well if I recall, that was pretty much Todd's decision wasn't it?"  
  
"Well yeah but..."  
  
"And, you did leave him Téa."  
  
"Gee thanks for the reminder."  
  
"All I'm saying is that he's probably just settling because things didn't work out with the two of you last time."  
  
Téa leans back against the couch. "What if he isn't?"  
  
"And what if he is?"  
  
Téa looks at Alex. "When the hell did you become Cupid?"  
  
"I told you, you two are my responsibility."  
  
With tears in her eyes, Téa turns to look at Alex. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Well, I admit I was pretty angry at you, but..it means a lot to me that you care enough about me to try and do something like this."

  
Alex smiles. "I do. And I'm not done yet."  
  
"Oh no...what?"  
  
"How long are you planning on staying? I mean now that your secret's out..."  
  
"Actually, I haven't decided. Maybe a few days, catch up with everyone."  
  
"Good! Because ..you never know when Bo might pull me in for questioning so you might as well just stay."  
  
"Good point."  
  
"Oh, and speaking of secrets, did you tell Todd about that little precious angel?" Alex asks, flashing a smile over to Jeremy, who is drifting off to sleep in the bassinet.  
  
"Yeah, and of course, being Todd, he immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion."  
  
"Which conclusion is that?"  
  
"That I had a baby with another man."  
  
"Did you let him believe that?"  
  
"No of course not!"  
  
"Well you know, a little jealousy never hurt anyone."  
  
"Alex, I'm past those games, especially with Todd. It's not my style. Now I'll admit, in the past, I have tried to make him jealous with other men....but I wouldn't use an innocent baby."  
  
"And that's why he loves you."  
  
"Right."  
  
"I'm serious. Todd Manning, for all his faults, has been screwed over many a time. I think he appreciates your honesty with him. And ..he does love you. I know he does."  
  
"Okay Cupid, whatever you say," Téa gets up, stretching. "I think I'm gonna take a long, hot bath. Today has drained me. Do you mind watching Jeremy for a bit?"  
  
"Of course not, it's my pleasure," she says, walking over to the bassinet and sitting down next to it and peering inside at his drowsy face.  
  
"You know Alex, you don't have to literally 'watch' him," Téa giggles, and then turns and heads for the bathroom.  
  
Alex smiles at Jeremy, whose eyes are struggling to remain open. "Aren't you the most precious thing?" she says softly, reaching in and taking his little hand. "It must be hard on your mom, raising you by herself. But I'm working on that sweetie. And I don't think it will take too long, judging by the way even *I* disappeared when they looked at each other. That's quite a feat you know, I mean, I am quite stunning. But enough about me...I think that before long, everything will work out for you, and your mom, and for Todd. I'm looking out for you too, sweetie. Don't worry, Auntie Alex is on the case," she says, smiling, watching the precious little boy drift off to sleep.  
  
  



	6. Twist of Fate 6

He wasn't sure how he wound up in the lobby of the Palace. After his run in with Téa at the police station, he had wandered around for a few hours, going to his old haunts. The docks, roaming the penthouse...all the places that reminded him of her.  
  
Todd still couldn't quite grasp that she was there, in his life once again. The conflict he was feeling was making him crazy, but he had to admit, it was also somewhat of a welcome relief. Since she had walked out of his life, he had been numb, and had done anything and everything to try and 'feel' something, all for nothing. Nothing worked but her.   
  
He had toyed with the idea of going home, but the idea of seeing Blair's ticked off face and hearing his daughter plead with him not to fight with her mother wasn't exactly an inviting thought. So, after wandering around a little more, he found himself here. Fighting the internal battle...should he? Or shouldn't he?  
  
He strolls into the darkened bar and gruffly orders a scotch. His fall eyes on one spot, realizing if he stared hard enough at the empty chair, he could see her. Tears streaming down her cheeks but a smile lighting up her face and she said 'yes' to his proposal. Seemed like a lifetime ago.  
  
And maybe it was. Because it certainly felt like he had lived about a few lives since then. Moments of _okay-ness. _. More moments of misery. Moments of numbness. He couldn't remember exactly where it had all gone wrong. A nagging thought kept saying he shouldn't have left Llanview after his deceit had been uncovered. Maybe he should have stayed, gotten help, not given up. Maybe the year and a half away did him more damage than good.  
  
Maybe.  
  
Swallowing the brown liquid with a gulp, he slams the glass down and turns toward the door for the bar, contemplating his next move. He glances at his watch, and back at the doorway. With a look of determination that had long been missing from his handsome face, he headed for the door.  
  
*****  
  
Téa leans back against the sofa, cherishing the quiet after Jeremy had a tough time getting to sleep. Alex hands her a glass of wine and sits down.  
  
"Téa, he is an angel," she says, raising her glass and clinking it with Téa's.  
  
"Yeah..he is," Téa says wistfully.  
  
"How long til everything is final?"  
  
"Just a few weeks. Since there was no sign of the parents and the authorities did their best to try and uncover who they were, it's all going fairly smoothly."  
  
"I still can't believe it."  
  
Téa looks at her. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know, you just seemed so set on being alone."  
  
"Maybe not as much as I thought."  
  
"Does that go for Todd to?"  
  
Téa rolls her eyes. "Do you ever put those arrows away?"  
  
"I'm just wondering."  
  
"I'm sure you are. But I don't think there's much chance, I mean, I told you, I'm not gonna interfere in his life."  
  
"Even if he wants you to?"  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Téa, he got you to interfere in his life before without even realizing it!"  
  
"Come on Alex, that was completely different. He certainly didn't plan on us being together."  
  
"Maybe not, but he saw something he liked from the start. The fact that he trusted you with Starr is a testament to that."  
  
"Yeah," Téa says quietly.  
  
"Are you going to see her?"  
  
"I'm not sure that's such a great idea."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure she would love to see you. I know I can't wait to see her!"  
  
Téa smiles. "Well it is because of you that she was able to grow this big in the first place."  
  
"You too."  
  
"I'm not the one who saved her life."  
  
"You gave that child a stable home, after her parents could barely stay in the same room together."  
  
"Well they apparently can now," Téa mutters.  
  
"Do you know that for sure?"  
  
"Know what for sure?"  
  
"I'm just saying, that I don't think Todd is all that happy."  
  
"Well it's his decision Alex. He's got to decide what he wants, and if it's Blair and Starr," she says, pausing and she swallows the lump in her throat, "then that's what he wants. And I'm not going to stand in his way."  
  
"Do me a favor ok?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't mistake Todd's situation for happiness and lose out on your happiness, and his, in the process. Get all the facts first, I mean, isn't that your job as a lawyer?"  
  
Téa smiles. "Yeah, I guess it is."  
  
A knock on the door causes them both to look in that direction. Alex stands up, stopping to check herself out in the mirror, and goes to answer it. As soon as the door opens, Todd strolls into the room.  
  
"I thought we were gonna do the eating thing," he says, stopping at the sight of Téa on the couch. "Oh...hey," he says, trying to act non chalant, and finding it incredibly difficult as he always did in her presence. "Uh, I didn't know you were here."  
  
As Todd and Téa stare at each other, Alex stifles a giggle as she closes the door.  
  
  



End file.
